When Carl Jensen was told his brother-in-law, Ken Fox, needed a kidney from an A positive blood donor, he didn’t hesitate to volunteer.

Fox had received a kidney from his sister, Shirley Hummell, but her blood type was different. The transplant team at UCLA has a 97 percent success rate with transplants between incompatible blood types. But Fox fell into the 3 percent, and his body started to reject his sister’s kidney on day six.

While they were talking to Fox’s family, Jensen said, ‘I think I’m A positive.”

“God said, ‘Carl give Ken one of my kidneys,’” Jensen said. “I believe everything I have belongs to the Lord.”

'RUN, DON’T WALK'

He downloaded a donor application form, and the next day he started a running program. He had a T-shirt printed with the words, “Kidney Donor, Run, Don’t Walk.”

“When God asks us to do something we run at it, don’t walk at it. I ran and walked four miles the first day,” he said. “I hadn’t run in 22 years. I never thought I could run again, but I had been swimming.”

Two days later, he was on the phone with the UCLA kidney coordinator to begin the process. The date was Oct. 22, 2012.

“I didn’t ask Carl to be the donor,” his wife, Sheryn Jensen, said. “He asked if he could do that. I couldn’t be happier. I was an original donor, but I couldn’t because of my blood pressure. I know how much Carl wants to do it, and he would do it if it wasn’t my brother. He has a love for people that far exceeds anything I’ve ever seen.”

Jensen continues to run from 2 to 7.6 miles every other day to build his strength.

He appreciates his running partners, Scott Bowman, David Rankin and Phil Hunt, for encouraging and helping him.

“I’ll be 60 years old in two months and my blood pressure is 114 over 68,” Jensen said. “I’m very grateful to the Lord for the good health I have.”

TRANSPLANT CANCELED

In January, the transplant team put him through two days of rigorous testing.

He passed every test and his doctor at Shelby Family Practice, Chris Madison, wanted to know if he had any blood left. “Shelby Family Practice — Dr. Madison, Larry Smith, Heidi Hamrick — have been fantastic and supportive,” he said.

He was a match and the surgery was set for April 23. He and his wife flew to California for one final test.

“Eleven hours before the surgery, I got a phone call to say the surgery was canceled,” he said. “It was an emotional and tough time. On the second cross match, we were incompatible. It is not uncommon.”

Page 2 of 3 - They drove over to the hospital and talked to the transplant supervisor.

“They asked if we wanted to go ahead with a paired exchange,” Jensen said. “They would put our names in the national registry. It could take up to six months to find Ken a donor and me a recipient.”

'MY EYES ARE ON YOU'

Their names were put on the registry on April 29. Jensen and his wife were ready to come back home, but when he called the airline to change their tickets, he was told there would be additional fees. With all the expenses from the transplant, Jensen wondered how they would pay the extra.

“I prayed and reminded Him of everything He had done to bring us to his point,” Jensen said. “Ken’s out of work; insurance doesn’t cover everything. I prayed the words of Jehoshaphat from

II Chronicles 20: ‘We know not what to do, but my eyes are on you.’”

He decided to go out for a cup of coffee and ended up at Chuck Swindoll’s former church and its coffee shop called The Well. He was sitting outside drinking his cappuccino and reading when a man walked around the corner and sat down.

STRANGER PAYS FOR TRIP HOME

“He asked where I was from and why I was here,” Jensen said. “I explained everything that happened and how the airlines wanted more money.”

The man reached into his back pocket and took out a card — with executive privileges and millions of air miles. He called the airlines and asked Jensen when they wanted to fly.

“We were to be at the airport the next morning at 5 a.m.,” Jensen said. “I said, ‘Why did you do that?’ and he said, ‘I know all about UCLA’s donor program. I understand everything you are going through.’ When I was on my knees praying to the Lord, he was sending this man to the church. I was there no more than five or 10 minutes.”

SEARCH FOR A MATCH

The search for a match has been a process full of faith, prayer and community support.

The first match was not good, but the registry immediately found another recipient for Jensen, and three days later, a surgery was scheduled for July 2.

On Monday of this week, they got a call canceling that match and surgery.

“We’ll start over again to find a recipient and another donor,” Jensen said. “We’ll go back out, they’ll look for a donor for Ken and a recipient for me, and then they’ll reschedule the surgery. It takes a lot of faith to do this. We’re just trusting the Lord that he does this in his timing.”

Page 3 of 3 - As of Thursday, Jensen said another donor match had been found and the surgeries are expected to take place next week. Jensen said community support has sustained them.

“It has been encouraging what the community has done,” he said. “Double Springs Baptist Church and Pastor Bill Fryar prayed and shared with us; the YMCA and Crystal Johnson has

helped us; Dish Network; and First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, S.C.”

The couple’s four children also gave them money for the trip to California.

“The four of them got together and put some money for us to fly,” said Sheryn Jensen. “We have three daughters and one son. The youngest is 14 and even she gave money.”

The message printed on the back of his running T-shirt sums up how Jensen feels about what he’s doing to support Fox: “I run for my brother-in-law Ken, his donor, and my recipient ... all for God’s glory.”